Abstract
In recent years both studies and corporate practice highlight the relevance of innovation networking enabling for profit and social enterprises to create knowledge, skills and technology sharing systems for innovation. Paying attention to the for-benefit economy, the aim of the research is to verify whether in social enterprises relational attitudes and cooperation influence the propensity for innovation, from an “innovation network” perspective. By means of a Social Network Analysis, combined with an Organizational Network Analysis and a Sentiment Analysis the survey is based on a sample of 200 italian social enterprises, out of 910 members of a really relevant non-profit Association in Italy. Preliminary findings show an emerging model, termed in fieri centric innovation network, in which the diffusion of knowledge throughout the network − crucial in order to create innovation − has to constitute a priority in its development policies.
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Sisodiya, S.R., Johnson, J. L., & Gregoire, Y. (2013). Inbound open innovation for enhanced performance: Enablers and opportunities. Industrial Marketing Management, 42 (5): 836-849.
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Tichy, N. M., Tushman, M. L., & Fombrun, C. (1979). Social Network Analysis For Organizations. Academy of Management Review, 4 (4): 507-519.
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doi:10.1080/09537325.2016.1181739
Van Burg, E., Berends, H., & Van Raaij, E.M. (2014). Framing and Interorganiza-tional Knowledge Transfer: A Process Study of Collaborative Innovation in the Aircraft Industry. Journal of Management Studies, 51 (3): 349-378.
Von Der Gracht, H., & Stillings, C. (2013). An innovation-focused scenario pro-cess - A case from the materials producing industry. Technological Forecast-ing and Social Change, 80 (4): 599-610.
Wonglimpiyarat, J. (2012). Technology strategies and standard competition - Comparative innovation cases of Apple and Microsoft. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 23 (2): 90-102.
Xie, X., Fang, L., & Zeng, S. (2016). Collaborative innovation network and knowledge transfer performance: A fsQCA approach. Journal of Business Re-searc, in press. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.114
Atouba, Y. C. (2016). Let’s Start From the Beginning. Examining the Connections Between Partner Selection, Trust, and Communicative Effectiveness in Voluntary Partnerships Among Human Services Nonprofits. Communicatio research, in press. doi:10.1177/0093650215626982
Aureli, S., & Del Baldo, M. (2016). Formal inter-firm cooperation and international expansion: how Italian SMEs are using the network contract. In: Hetemad, H., Denicolai, S., Hagen, B., &
Zucchella, A. (eds). The Changing Global Econo-my and its Impact on International Entrepreneurship. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Barile, S., & Metallo, G. (2002). Le ricerche di mercato. Torino, Italy: Giappichelli.
Bonti, M., Cori, C., & Palazzolo, G. (2012). Reti di piccole imprese per l’innovazione: il caso neftech. Small Business, 3: 49-69.
Borzaga, C., & Zandonai, F. (a cura di). (2009). Rapporto Iris Network. L’impresa sociale in Italia. Economia e istituzioni dei beni comuni. Roma, Italia: Donzelli.
Calia, R.C., Guerrini, F.M., & Moura, G. L. (2007). Innovation networks: From technological development to business model reconfiguration. Technovation, 27 (8): 426-432.
Cantù, C., Corsaro, D., & Tunisini, A. (2015). Editorial - Organizing for innovation networks. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 30 (3/4): 1-3.
Cioppi, M., & Buratti, A. (2014). La dimensione relazionale nei siti web delle agenzie di viaggio on-line. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, (2).
Dandi, R., & Sammarra, A. (2009). Social Network Analysis: A New Perspective for the Post-Fordist Organization. Proceedings of the 6th Conference on Ap-plications of Social Network Analysis (ASNA 2009), Expanding networks: New reality or new perspective?, August 27-28, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich.
Defourny, J., & Nyssens, M. (2008). Social enterprise in Europe: recent trends and developments. Social Enterprise Journal, 4 (3): 202-228.
Dey, P., & Roy, S. (2016). Social Network Analysis. In: Meghanathan N. (eds). Advanced Methods for Complex Network Analysis. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Euricse (2011). Social innovation. Analisi dell’Innovazione Sociale sulla stampa generalista ed economica negli Stati Uniti, in Europa e in Italia, gennaio 2010 - giugno 2011. http://euricse.eu/sites/euricse.eu/files/social_ innovation_ dos-sier_web_0.pdf.
Farmer, J., De Cotta, T., Mckinnon, K., Barraket, J., Munoz, S. A., Douglas, H., & Roy, M. J. (2016). Social enterprise and wellbeing in community life. Social Enterprise Journal, 12 (2).
Fazzi, L. (2012). Social Enterprises, Models of Governance and the Production of Welfare Services. Public Management Review, 14 (3): 359-376.
Freel, M.S. (2005). Patterns of innovation and skills in small firms. Technovation, 25 (2): 123-134.
Gerli F., Tognazzo A., Giubitta P. (2012). What makes Italian sme entrepreneurs successful? The leverage effect of relational competencies. Piccola Impre-sa/Small Business, (3): 7197.
Granovetter, M. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociol-ogy, 78 (6): 1360-1380.
Gubbins, C., & Dooley, L. (2014). Exploring Social Network Dynamics Driving Knowledge Management for Innovation. Journal of Management Inquiry, 23 (2): 162-185.
Hanneman, R. A., & Riddle, M. (2005). Introduction to social network meth-ods. Riverside, CA: University of California.
Hayter, C.S. (2013). Conceptualizing knowledge-based entrepreneurship net-works: perspectives from the literature. Small Business Economics, 41 (4): 899-911.
Hidalgo, A., & D’alvano, L. (2014). Service innovation: Inward and outward relat-ed activities and cooperation mode. Journal of Business Research, 67 (5): 698-703.
Hoque, Z., & Parker, L. (Eds). (2015). Performance Management in Nonprofit Organizations: Global Perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hussler, C., & Rondé, P. (2009). Investing in Networking Competences or Estab-lishing in Hot Spots? The Innovation Dilemna. Journal of Technology Man-agement & Innovation, 4 (4): 1-13.
Iris Network (2012). L’impresa sociale in Italia. Pluralità dei modelli e contributo alla difesa. Milano, Italia: Altreconomia Edizioni.
Katz, B., Turgut, E., Holzmann, T., & Sailer, K. (2013). Innovation intermediaries: a process view on open innovation coordination. Technology Analysis & Stra-tegic Management, 25 (3): 295-309.
Klerkx, L., & Aarts, N. (2013). The interaction of multiple champions in orchestrat-ing innovation networks: Conflicts and complementarities. Technovation, 33 (6-7): 193-210.
Kohl, H., Cap, J-P., Blaich, E., & Raesfeld, A. Von (2015). Innovation Leadership through Systematic Monitoring and Improvement of Innovation networks. In: Proceedings of the 16th International CINet Conference. Stockholm, 13-15 September.
Massar,I F. S., Riggio, M. T., & Calace, D. (2015). Legal and Managerial Implica-tions of the Italian “Contratto di Rete”–Network Contract. Management, 10 (2): 131-148.
Maxwell, S. P., & Carboni, J. L. (2014). Stakeholder communication in service implementation networks: expanding relationship management theory to the nonprofit sector through organizational network analysis. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 19: 301-313.
Moodysson, J., & Zukauskaite, E. (2014). Institutional Conditions and Innovation Systems: On the Impact of Regional Policy on Firms in Different Sectors. Re-gional Studies, 48 (1): 127-138.
Musella, M., & Santoro, M. (2012). L’economia sociale nell’era della sussidiarietà orizzontale. Torino, Italia: Giappichelli.
Oerlemans, L., Meeus, M., & Boekema, F. (2001) (a). On the spatial embed-dedness of innovation networks: an exploration of the proximity effect. Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie, 92 (1): 60-75.
Oerlemans, L., Meeus, M., & Boekema, F. (2001) (b). Firm clustering and innova-tion: determinants and effects. Papers in Regional Science, 80 (3): 337-356.
Olaru, D., & Purchase, S. (2015). Innovation network trajectories: the role of time and history. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 30 (3/4): 342-353.
Pavlov, R. (2012). The Innovation Potential of Social Enterprises. Proceedings of the 7th Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 1-2: 548-553.
Pencarelli, T., Cioppi, M., & Forlani, F. (2015). L’impatto del web 2.0 sul marke-ting delle piccole imprese alberghiere. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, (2).
Pika, A., & Küppers, G. (2002). Innovation Networks: theory and practice. Mas-sachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Romano, F. (2014). The Italian business network contract: a legal tool for small and medium enterprises. Law and Politics, 62.
Rubera, G., Chandrasekaran, D., & Ordanini, A. (2015). Open innovation, product portfolio innovativeness and firm performance: the dual role of new product development capabilities. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science: 1-19.
Rusanen, H., Halinen-Kaila, A., & Jaakkola, E. (2014). Accessing resources for service innovation - the critical role of network relationships. Journal of Ser-vice Management, 25 (1): 2-29.
Sabeti, H. (2011). The For-Benefit Enterprise. Harvard Business Review, 89 (11): 1-7.
Salter, A., Criscuolo, P., & Ter Wal, A. L.J. (2014). Coping with Open Innovation: responding to the challenges of external engagement in R&D. California Man-agement Review, 56 (2): 77-94.
Scott, J. (2013). Social network analysis. Third edition. London, UK: Sage.
Shazi, R., Gillespie, N., & Steen, J. (2015). Trust as a predictor of innovation network ties in project teams. International Journal of Project Management, 33 (1): 81-91.
Short, J.C., Moss, T.W., & Lumpkin, G.T. (2009). Research in social entrepre-neurship: past contributions and future opportunities. Strategic Entrepreneur-ship Journal, 3 (2): 161-194.
Sisodiya, S.R., Johnson, J. L., & Gregoire, Y. (2013). Inbound open innovation for enhanced performance: Enablers and opportunities. Industrial Marketing Management, 42 (5): 836-849.
Song, W., Cao, J., & Zheng, M. (2016). Towards an integrative framework of in-novation network for new product development project. Production Planning & Control, 27 (12): 967-978.
Tichy, N. M., Tushman, M. L., & Fombrun, C. (1979). Social Network Analysis For Organizations. Academy of Management Review, 4 (4): 507-519.
Tseng, C. Y., Lin, S. C., Pai, D. C., & Tung, C. W. (2016). The relationship be-tween innovation network and innovation capability: a social network perspec-tive. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, in press.
doi:10.1080/09537325.2016.1181739
Van Burg, E., Berends, H., & Van Raaij, E.M. (2014). Framing and Interorganiza-tional Knowledge Transfer: A Process Study of Collaborative Innovation in the Aircraft Industry. Journal of Management Studies, 51 (3): 349-378.
Von Der Gracht, H., & Stillings, C. (2013). An innovation-focused scenario pro-cess - A case from the materials producing industry. Technological Forecast-ing and Social Change, 80 (4): 599-610.
Wonglimpiyarat, J. (2012). Technology strategies and standard competition - Comparative innovation cases of Apple and Microsoft. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 23 (2): 90-102.
Xie, X., Fang, L., & Zeng, S. (2016). Collaborative innovation network and knowledge transfer performance: A fsQCA approach. Journal of Business Re-searc, in press. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.114
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